Many industrial and commercial equipment and facilities accumulate residue or debris that is difficult to remove. High pressure water blasting is often undesirable, as removing the spent water can be difficult in enclosed spaces and water can damage expensive industrial equipment. Sublimable particles (such as dry ice) applied at high velocity and pressure may be used in cleaning processes. Such particles are efficient in removing residue, but also sublime upon contact leaving no leftover cleaning material.
Some industrial equipment is manufactured and configured in such a way that cleaning an outside surface by blasting is very inefficient. Many types of boilers, furnaces and dryers have internal coils or tubes that are stacked many feet deep with little spacing in between. The surface of the bundles of tubes or coils may be cleaned, but reaching all sides of the interior of such bundles with existing equipment and processes is problematic.